Needle setter and threader



April 6, 1963 H. STRAUSSER 3,085,527

NEEDLE SETTER AND THREADER Filed Jan. 16, 1961 A ,J I2 m \\\W IN VEN TOR.

WILLIAM H. STRAUSSER This invention relates to a needle setter and threader.

One object of the invention is to provide a device which is particularly adapted for simultaneously setting a pair of needles in the needle bar of a sewing machine. Many sewing machines are equipped with needle bars for receiving a pair of parallel sewing needles. The needles must be inserted into the needle bar exactly to the right extent and in the right position of rotation with respect to the needle bar and with respect to each other. The device of the present invention is particularly adapted to perform this function.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for simultaneously inserting a pair of needles in the needle bar of a sewing machine which comprises a holder and a block of resilient material carnied by the holder, the block of resilient material being formed with spaced parallel holes open at one end to receive the needles and being adapted to frictionally grip the needles to retain them against accidentally pulling out or rotating.

Another object is to provide a device for setting a pair of needles in the needle bar of a sewing machine wherein the block of resilient material is secured to a hard surface of the holder, and the holes extend down to the hard surface so that the ends of the inserted needles will contact the hard surface to be located longitudinally thereby.

Another object is to provide a needle setter wherein the holder is in the form of a pair of tweezers and the block of resilient material is secured to one side of the tweezers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device equipped with a wire threader lfOI' threading a needle, wherein the projecting end of the threader is folded back on itself in a sharp acute angle to form a hook-like notch to catch a length of thread which is then pulled through the eye of the needle.

Another object is to provide a guard for the threader mounted on the holder for movement from a normal posit-ion overlying and protecting the threader to a withdrawn position exposing the latter for use.

Another object is to provide a threading device wherein the wire threader is disposed in an open groove in a surface of the holder, and wherein the guard overlies the grooved surface and is slideably adjusted between its normal and withdrawn positions while continuously covering the groove to retain the wire threader therein.

Another object is to provide a threader wherein the groove is straight throughout most of its length but has a terminal offset, and wherein the wire threader has a straight shank adapted to fit the straight portion of the groove and a laterally projecting end adapted to fit the groove ofiset. This prevents the wire threader from being Withdrawn longitudinally.

Another object is to provide a combined needle setter and threader having the advantages outlined above, in which the holder is in the form of a pair of tweezers also having a honing stone secured thereto for sharpening the blunted end of a needle.

Other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a combined needle setter and threader embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

atent FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 and shows the parts in another position.

FIG. 5 is an enlargement of a portion of the device.

FIG. 6 is an end view.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a standard pair of tweezers. The tweezers 10 are composed of a pair of elongated gripping members 12 and 14 which are secured together at one end 16. The gripping members diverge from the end 16 and are of a flexible material so that they may be squeezed together to grip an object, such as a length of thread, to clean lint and broken thread from the bobbin mechanism, etc.

A block 18 of a flexible resilient compressible material, such as rubber, is secured to the gripping member 12 of the tweezers in any suitable manner as by the use of an adhesive. The block 18 of resilient material is formed with a pair of spaced parallel passages 20 of the same i which the block 18 is secured.

In order to simultaneously insert the pair of needles 21 and 22 into the needle bar of a sewing machine, the needles are inserted thread end first into the passages 20. Since the passages 20 are through passages, their thread ends can engage the hard tweezer surface to precisely locate the needles longitudinally with respect to one another. Since the block 18 is formed of a resilient rubber-like material, the needles are frictionally gripped in the passages 20 so that they cannot he accidentally withdrawn or rotated. It will be noted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 that the needles 21 and 22 have flats 25 on one side. In order to properly insert the needles, they must be related to one another so that the flats 25 are in the same plane, as seen in FIG. 2.. The friction grip of the rubber-like block 18 on the needles assures that they will not accidentally rotate from the desired position in which the flats are aligned or in the same plane.

The resilient material of'the block 18 not only frictionally grips the needle in properly related positions to one another, but'also permits the use of the needle setting device with needles of ditferent diameter. Hence, larger diameter needles may be set by this device due to the fact that the material of the block 18 is resilient.

Also mounted on the gripping member 12 of the tweezers is a honing stone 28. A pair of generally U- shaped clamps 30 are provided to secure the stone to the gripper 12. The transverse portion of each clamp passes between the grippers and the legs thereof extend along the side of the gripper 12 and the stone, and at their ends are formed with inturned retaining portions 32 which overlie the outer surface of the stone to secure the stone in position on the tweezers.

The device also includes a threader, that is structure for threading a needle. The threader is generally indicated at 35 and is in the form of an elongated wire element of very small cross section, small enough to pass through the eye of an ordinary needle. The wire threader has an elongated straight shank portion 38 which is re movably disposed within the elongated straight open groove 40 in the surface of the gripper 14 of the tweezers. The groove 40 extends to the end 16 of the tweezers, and at its opposite end is formed with a right angle terminal offset 42. The groove portions 40 and 42 are open throughout their entire length, and the shank 38 of the wire threader is formed with a right angle laterally extending end portion 44 which is removably disposed in O the offset groove portion 42. At the opposite end of the shank, the wire threader has a portion 46 extending at right angles to the shank portion beyond the groove. The portion 46 has a terminal threading portion 48 which is bent back upon itself at a sharp acute angle to provide a hook-like notch to catch a length of thread. The portions 46 and 48 of the wire threader are projected through the eye of a needle to catch a length of thread in the notch provided by the return bent portion 48, and the threader is then withdrawn from the eye to thread the needle.

The wire threader 35 is held in the groove by means of a guard 50. The guard 50 has a groove 51 receiving the pin 52 to permit pivotal and sliding movement of the guard in the plane of the surface of the gripper in which the groove is formed. The guard 50 is in the form of a flat L-shaped plate which presses against the surface of the gripper as it slides and pivots. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the guard is shown in its normal position overlying the wire threader to retain it in the groove and with its L- shaped end covering the portions 46 and 48 of the threader to protect the same. The guard is held in frictional contact with the fiat surface of the gripper by the pivot 52, and hence will be retained in any position to which it is set against accidental displacement. The friction is easily overcome, however, when it is desired to slide the guard to the dotted position of FIG. 3 to expose the end portions 46 and 48 of the wire threader for use. Even in the dotted position, the guard still overlies the groove to retain the wire threader.

In order to remove the wire threader to replace the same for example, the guard 50 is simply pivoted to the FIG. 4 position to expose the groove so that the wire threader may be lifted therefrom. It will be obvious that when the guard 50 overlies the groove, the wire threader cannot be lifted therefrom, nor can it be withdrawn from the groove longitudinally because of the offset portion 44 thereof in the groove offset 42.

The grooved portions 40 and 42 are of the same depth. The wire threader is of a diameter which is preferably equal to or slightly less than the depth of the grooved portions so that it will be fully received therein and will not project above the surface of the tweezers in which the grooved portions are formed. In some instances, however, it may be desirable to provide a wire threader the diameter of which is slightly greater than the grooved portions 40 and 42. In this instance, the guard will press on and frictionally engage the wire threader. For example, the wire threader may be .007 inch in diameter and the grooved portions may be .005 in depth.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a very convenient combination device for both setting a pair of needles and threading a needle. The stone 28 is convenient for sharpening the blunted end of a needle, and of course the structure is all provided on a holder in the form of a pair of tweezers which is an extremely brandy implement to have when operating a sewing mac me.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A device for threading a needle comprising a holder having a surface provided with an open groove, a wire threader removably positioned in said open groove, and a guard mounted on said holder for movement from a normal position overlying and protecting said threader to a withdrawn position exposing the latter for use, said guard overlying said grooved surface and being slidably adjustable to and from its normal and withdrawn positions while continuously covering said groove to retain said threader therein, said guard being movable to a position clearing said groove to enable removal of said threader therefrom.

2. A device for simultaneously setting a pair of needles in the needle bar of a sewing maching comprising a holder having a hard fiat surface, a block of resilient material having a pair of laterally spaced parallel through passages therein each extending through opposite surfaces thereof, said block of resilient material being secured to said holder with one of the aforesaid surfaces of said block in flush surface-to-surface engagement with said hard flat surface of said holder, said hard flat surface of said holder extending across and closing each of said passages at one end thereof, the opposite ends of said passages being open to permit the insertion of a pair of needles, said passages being adapted to frictionally grip the inserted needles to hold them against accidentally pulling out or rotating, and said hard fiat surface of said holder providing an abutment adapted to be contacted by the inserted needles to accurately locate said needles longitudinally with respect to each other.

3. The device defined in claim 2, wherein said holder is an elongated member adapted to be conveniently held in the hand and said block of resilient material is secured to said holder one end thereof.

4. The device defined in claim 1 wherein said groove is straight throughout most of its length having a terminal offset, and said wire threader has a straight shank adapted to fit the straight portion of said groove and a laterally projecting end adapted to fit said offset to prevent longitudinal removal of said threader from said groove.

5. The device defined in claim 4 wherein said wire threader has a portion which projects from said groove at right angles to the shank thereof.

6. The device defined in claim 5 wherein the end of the projecting portion of said wire threader has a terminal threading portion bent back upon itself in a sharp acute alpgledto provide a hook-like notch to catch a length of t rea References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 89,618 Barber et al. May 14, 1869 113,542 Martine Apr. 11, 1871 196,247 Newcomb Oct. 16, 1877 242,374 Russell May 31, 1881 1,175,504 Boye Mar. 14, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS 513,514 Belgium Aug. 30, 1952 

2. A DEVICE FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY SETTING A PAIR OF NEEDLES IN THE NEEDLE BAR OF A SEWING MACHINE COMPRISING A HOLDER HAVING A HARD FLAT SURFACE, A BLOCK OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL THROUGH PASSAGES THEREIN EACH EXTENDING THROUGH OPPOSITE SURFACES THEREOF, SAID BLOCK OF RESILIENT MATERIAL BEING SECURED TO SAID HOLDER WITH ONE OF THE AFORESAID SURFACES OF SAID SAID HOLDER WITH ONE OF THE AFORESAID SURFACES OF SAID BLOCK IN FLUSH SURFACE-TO-SURFACE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID HARD FLAT SURFACE OF SAID HOLDER, SAID HARD FLAT SURFACE OF SAID HOLDER EXTENDING ACROSS AND CLOSING EACH OF SAID PASSAGES AT ONE END THEREOF, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID PASSAGES BEING OPEN TO PERMIT THE INSERTION OF A PAIR OF NEEDLES, SAID PASSAGES BEING ADAPTED TO FRICTIONALLY GRIP THE INSERTED NEEDLES TO HOLD THEM AGAINST ACCIDENTALLY PULLING OUT OR ROTATING, AND SAID HARD FLAT SURFACE OF SAID HOLDER PROVIDING AN ABUTMENT ADAPTED TO BE CONTACTED BY THE INSERTED NEEDLES TO ACCURATELY LOCATE SAID NEEDLES LONGITUDINALLY WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER. 